Bleach: Shihai no Tsumi: Setting in Motion
It was morning, about a few weeks after the battle with Diosa and her allies. Everything was normal. Or at least a normal as it could be with the two casualties the Kurosaki Family had suffered. But they were going about their lives as normal. They hadn't been attacked in recent weeks, which was surprise to them all, but they were taking advantage of it to get in on some training. "YOU IDIOT!" A voice of a loud, angry woman burst out of nowhere, coming from the Kurosaki mansion and echoing around the streets. Ahatake was currently getting shouted down by a young woman with short black hair, red eyes, and glasses, and Ahatake was sitting there with a bored look on his face. Miharu slid down on the stair-case railing, landing neatly on the mat. "Kā-chan, who is it that's yelling at Tō-san?" She asked her mother as she walked into the kitchen. "How many times have I told you to stop doing that?" It was more of a rhetorical question than anything else. Megami had spoken those words more than once, yet it became the daughter's habit. After so many times, she had begun to think that the girl had became an expert at performing such stunts inside of the home, so she began to think less and less of the action. But the words were still natural to escaped out of the concerned mother's mouth, even as she peeked her head out from the doorway between the kitchen and the living room. Megami had not been in the kitchen this time. Instead, she had been in the living room where Ahatake and the other woman were resided. She didn't know exactly what to do - Ahatake wasn't exactly in trouble, was he? But the anger directed at him didn't seem like a natural theme to her. The best she had done was put on a sheepish smile as she watched the scene. She wasn't alarmed, for she had known who it was that screamed at her husband at such a manner. "Sorry Mom." Miharu chuckled. Ahatake sighed. "Seriously woman, give me a break. You just get fixed and the first thing you do is yell at me?" The woman slammed her fist into Ahatake's face, breaking the man's nose. "I wouldn't have had to get fixed if you had been focusing back then!" Miharu gasped. "O.K. can someone please tell me who she is?" Ahatake didn't answer, he was busy tending to his nose. "AH!" That was when Megami decided to step in, stepping forward and raising her hands in a quelling manner. "Ryūseiga-san.... please! I understand that this is a spirit-and-master manner, but there's no need to resort to violence. Please, calm down!" Had she not been alarmed by the ruthless blow that the Zanpakutō had delivered to Ahatake, she would've gladly and directly answered her daughter's question. Ryūseiga laughed when Megami said to not resort to violence. Ahatake, sighed, having finally cracked his nose back into place. "If violence isn't solving your problems Megami, you obviously haven't been using enough of it." Ryūseiga said in an almost know-it-all fashion. "Ryūseiga, can we settle this later?" Ahatake asked, annoyed. "It's too early in the morning for all this anyway." The Zanpakutō spirit hissed for a moment, but she began to fade towards Ahatake's blade as if being drawing there, disappearing completely. "Now you all know why I'm not too fond of my Zanpakuō." Ahatake said, sitting down in a chair. Miharu was speechless. That was her Dad's Zanpakuō spirit? At least hers was nice. "I believe I understand you a bit more, honey....." Megami muttered, lowering her hands in a mixture of relief and exasperation. She slowly approached him, leaning over and pressing her hands onto her knees. "Are you all right?" Her eyes peered at his broken nose in order to check if it was continuously bleeding. "Damn I hate that spirit." Ahatake muttered. His nose was still bleeding, but he was trying to wipe it away with a napkin he found next to him. "Hold still." Megami immediately switched to a medical mode, her tone turning stern. She gently pulled the napkin away from him, using her free hand to push him back in a prostrate position on the couch. She kept his nose pinched. "Keep your head tilted back and your nose pinched. The bleeding will stop after a while." She instructed him. Ahatake did as she asked, tilting his head back and pinching his nose. Once he did so, Megami released him and stepped back for a moment, folding her arms across her chest. "No offense... but you really should attempt to find some way to reconcile your differences with your Zanpakutō. After all, it's no good if a master and their sword can't get along easily. It just hinders the both of you when you're hostile like this...." She said gently, the stern tone gone from her voice. "We get along in battle just fine." Ahatake said, his voice stuffed up. "As you can see, she's very violent. It's when we're not in battle that we can't stand each other." "In battle....." Megami repeated, looking on with sympathy. "But when it comes to casual situations, you go right back to arguing again! I'm pretty sure broken noses aren't one of your favorite things, are they?" "No, but it's not often she materializes into our world just to break my nose." Ahatake explained. "But then again, my Bankai has never been damaged before. When the dragon was damaged, it damage her. She didn't take kindly to that." "Hmmm...." Megami thought for a moment. She walked over to sit down on the empty spot where his feet where. "If that's true... you think there could be some way to make it up to her? You know...." She shrugged, closing her eyes and placing folded hands onto her lap. "A bit of apology and humility for the injury and such." A vein throbbed in Ahatake's forehead. "Megami, I really doubt that's going to happen. I'm not one for apologies anyway." "Just try...." Megami said softly, placing a hand onto the man's ankle. She wasn't trying to annoy him, of course. But she was trying to get him to think a bit harder before continuing such a hostile relationship. "I know it's hard having to reconcile with people you hate.... but I'' think it's worth a shot. If it fails, then you'll have a reason to...well...argue, I suppose." Ahatake chuckled. "Fine. I'll try it. Later." "Good...." She stood up, but only to walk over to give her husband a kiss on the cheek. "I'm glad you decided to look at things my way, dear...." Ahatake sat up, unpinching his nose. He breathed in. "Smells like blood." Miharu had been standing there the whole time, quietly. "Kā-chan?" She spoke up. "When's breakfast?" This caused Megami to let out a gasp. Then, a sheepish smile crossed her face and she scratched the back of her head. "Oh, I'm sorry...!" She apologized in an embarrassed manner. "I just couldn't bring myself to cook. There's some cereal on the sink if you want some, though." "Alright." She left, and Ahatake could hear the rustling of bags and boxes in the kitchen. "Oh that's right. Megami, I just remembered. Last night, I went to the World of the Living to talk to Kisuke." "Oh, did you....?" Megami asked, raising an eyebrow. She placed her hands onto her hips, waiting for an explanation. "Yeah." Ahatake said, bracing ''himself to give the bad news. "I told him all about Takahashi, and, unfortunately, he doesn't know a thing." "Of course...." Megami hung her head in slight disappointment. However, this was to be expected from a new enemy. Not everyone could know anything about him. "I wonder if Rukia knows anything about him. The next time I find her, I should go and ask." "Well, you can go looking for her if you like." Ahatake suggested. "I can feel her Spiritual pressure, and she's not too far from here, though she's not headed in this direction." "No, no, no, that'd be too tedious. I'd rather wait for a good time to catch her. As of now.... she's probably busy with something else. Being an ambassador does that to you." ---- Rukia had been busy indeed. She had just gotten back from the Seireitei, conducting research on Takahashi Ishikawa. Luckily, she had been able to find information she needed in the Daireishokairō. She approached the palace. She first had to deliver the information to His Highness, then she would tell Ahatake and co. what she knew. Inside, a meeting was taking place. Ginji, after things had been over and done with, had gone off to see Jūshin once more in order to discuss the aftermath of what had happened. The two were sitting across from each other in their respective places. Ginji was sitting in a chair in front of the man's desk, while the king himself sat behind it. His elbows were on the wooden material, hands folded. His eyes were giving the Major an even gaze, and the Major stared back without emotion. "So, Diosa's group has been liquified?" "The majority have been, sir. Diosa herself was killed by Takahashi, the real leader. He was also the one to have murdered the former Lieutenant." Ginji looked down for a second, solemn in thought. "All possible leads died when the man stopped breathing. Now we have no idea where this man is, what his motives are, or what his true target is." Jūshin let out a heavy sigh of his own, his face buried in one of his palms. "Just terrific. You take out one leader, and another spawns to take her damn place." He rested his palm down on the ground, a stern stare directed towards Ginji. "I want this man silenced as soon as possible. He, by himself, is proving to be a threat to the city. I don't care how you do it, I don't want another crisis rearing its ugly head. If worse comes to worst, I'll be forced to step in this time." At the door, Chidori was leaning against it, staring solemnly at the two as they exchanged words. "You mustn't do that, my Lord." She said quietly. "The people revere you as their leader. They wouldn't be able to stand a valuable individual like you to sacrifice your life. In the case that you die at this moment, there won't be any successors to the throne. The military will have to take over..." "That's exactly why I don't want to do it." Jūshin agreed. "But.... there doesn't seem to be much of a choice this time, is there?" Rukia was able to enter the castle without anyone stopping her. She was known there already. She proceeded to the King's Office. The door was ajar. She walked inside, announcing herself. "Excuse me." Chidori shouldn't have been leaning against the door so much. WHUMPF! The startled woman only had time to turn around before falling right into the short and petite female, causing Rukia to fall on her back. For a moment, Chidori lay there on Rukia's stomach in disorientation, raising her head up and letting out a soft groan as she rubbed the back of her head. "Ouch...." She complained, her eyes slowly drifting to see what she had landed on. However, once she did, all thoughts turned to shock once again. She immediately jumped off of Rukia, holding her hands up in front of her defensively. "Woah, didn't see you coming, Rukia!" Behind them, the two males were snickering, trying not to laugh at what had just happened. Rukia was grumbling, getting up and rubbing her head. "I didn't see you by the door Chidori." Rukia said. She didn't seem angry, just surprised. "And stop laughing you two." She snapped at Jūshin and Ginji. That was the wrong thing to say. Immediately, the two burst out laughing, the King pounding his fist on the desk for a moment. Ginji himself nearly fell out of his chair at that one, unable to keep his usually mature composition. "Good god...!" He managed to gasp out, before continuing his careless chortles. It was obvious that they needed the lift in their moods. Something that simple surely wouldn't have been so hilarious, would it? Rukia sighed, looking at Chidori. "I'm finding it hard to believe he's the King." The said woman was shaking her head sagely, closing her eyes. "You know what? Funny thing is, I'm starting to think that, too...." She answered, her eyes drifting over towards a now-dumbfounded king. She smirked when he raised his hands up into the air defensively, causing Ginji to slow down and eventually stop his own laughter. "Hey! Don't just come in here and badmouth me!" He exclaimed, though not at all concerned about what the two thought of him. "I came here on business until you two decided to bust a gut." Rukia said, walking over to the King's desk. "I can only assume you already know about Takahashi?" At the mention of Takahashi, both men immediately straightened up, their expressions serious. The former returned to his former position before his laughter. "That would be just about right, Kuchiki-san." He said calmly. "Ginji was just telling me about what had happened in Hueco Mundo." "Well, since we've gotten back from Hueco Mundo, I went back to the Seireitei and conducted some research on Takahashi in the Daireishokairō." Rukia said, relieved to see that they were back to normal. Jūshin raised an eyebrow, moving a motioning gesture towards her for her to keep going. "And....?" He asked, anticipation within his tone. "From what I found, Takahashi was the former Captain of Ninth Company. During his time in the Soul Society, he became a Lieutenant after the mysterious death of the previous Lieutenant. He was known for his abnormal interest in Hollows. He was later appointed to Captain Rank. Half a decade after his promotion, he was discovered welding Hollows powers, and was going to be tried by the Central 46. He defected from the Soul Society, promising he would eventually come back to slaughter every single Shinigami in the Seirietei." Jūshin chuckled grimly, closing his eyes and shaking his head. "And he dared to bring this within my city and not expect retaliation...." He muttered. "I guess there's no other choice, then...." This caused Chidori to look at him in slight confusion, her eyebrow raising and her head tilted to the side. "'No other choice'?" Rukia repeated. "What do you mean?" "This situation has officially bled into both Yūrei and the feudal Soul Society." Jūshin explained, opening his eyes and leveling his stare at Rukia. "My local troops can't reach into that sort of field without it appearing that our treaty with them is willing to be broken, and this might escalate into something dangerous very quickly. If this is going to end the way we want it to.... we're going to have to call in the special ops." "I.S.F.R., sir?" Ginji questioned. "Exactly. Colonel Shinji's not going to be too pleased about having to be put on a rush so quickly, but there's really nothing I can do about that situation...." ""I.S.F.R?" Rukia's expression changed into one of bewilderment. "What is that?" "Basically a mercenary military group.... without the mercenary. We pick the best troops from other soul societies and place them together to create a force to be reckoned with. We mostly go between the feudal Soul Society and this one in order for recruits, but they come from a wide variety of "nations", if you will. They're the best warriors in existence who don't need the help of otherworldly powers such as the Shinigami, Hollow, Quincy, and the like do." "I see." Rukia thought about that for a moment. She hoped they weren't biting off more than they could chew. "Well, if you'll excuse me, I have to go now." The king's eyes widened, a mischievious smile flashing across his face. "Oh, no you're not!" He counteracted, lifting a finger to point up at her face. "Before you leave this place, you've got some papers to fill out!" Immediately, he lowered himself behind the desk, rummaged around, then yanked out a huge staff of paperwork. Standing up, he walked over to Rukia. "You may be getting by thanks to me, freeloader. But as long as you're ambassador of this place, you're still going to have to work as hard as me!" Promptly, he placed them in her arms with a cheery smile. Rukia's eyes widened at the sight of the amount of work she had. With the events that had been going on, she had been putting off her work. She sighed, walking out of the room with the heavy stack of papers. As soon as she made her exit, Jūshin turned towards the Major. "Ginji, I would like you to inform the General and Colonel about this new development. Have them prepare the team as soon as possible." "Yes, sir...." A nod of acknowledgement, and Ginji was out of his chair to run past a surprised Chidori and out of the room, closing the door behind. Now, the secretary and the king were alone for the moment. This newfound revelation caused Jūshin to sigh, his body sinking in one of the nearest chairs. He placed a hand to his forehead. "Oh, god.... I need a break. All of this work thanks to these damn people who want to start trouble...." He whined. "Why can't they just leave a king be for once?" This caused Chidori to smile in amusement. She walked over to him, hands on her hips. "I donno, M'Lord...." She said casually, moving herself behind him. "But I do know you could use a break from all of this, even if it's a short one." She leaned over, placing his hands onto his shoulders. She could practically feel the surprise on his face as he looked at her from the corner of her eye. "We don't have any paperwork for at least a few more days. How about we get out of here for a while and enjoy ourselves?" A grin came across Jūshin's face. "Are you asking me out on a date, Chidori-san?" Her own smile grew wider. "How'd you guess?" "Well....I think that's a great idea!" Slowly, the king pulled himself from the chair and stretched out a little bit. "Plenty of time to get myself straightened out....more time to think. I think I've been in that friggin' chair forever!" He earned a short laugh from his assistant, who moved up beside him. As he lowered his arms, she dared to hook one of her own arms into his. "Glad you see it my way. Now shall I escort you, my Lord?" "You may, my most loyal subject." They both shared a laugh as they exited the office and through the doors. ---- The only sound that could be heard now was that of clashing blades. Out in the yard, Miharu and Megami were in another one of their training sessions. Daiyaku, apparently now a permanent member of their household, was sitting on the very tree he had fallen out of, watching intently. Miharu looked tired, though this was expected, they had been going at it for an hour straight. In her hand was a blade that looked like it was made completely of energy. She thrust the blade forward, and it extended, shooting forward at Megami. Megami's fighting style, due to the fact that this was only a spar and nothing more, used defensive movements and counter-attacks in order to counteract her daughter. Due to this conservation of energy, she was looking less worn out. She performed a simple side-step to avoid being stabbed. However, she also managed to jet forward in a race against the sword's retraction time. She poised her unreleased blade and thrust it when she got close. "Mom's blade is made of water!" Miharu remembered. "Maybe I can do something to it." As her mother neared her, she waved her hand in front of the blade, attempting to use her control over water to made the blade disperse. The blade was inches in front of her hand, moments away from cutting through it. Then, it stopped entirely. Megami's eyes widened slightly as the ice of her blade was shaking in a violent manner. She took a step back, unable to do anything as her entire katana blade suddenly shattered, melted, and vanished from existence. Now she was left unarmed, staring at her free hand and wondering what had just happened. Miharu grinned. "It worked!!" She was beside herself with glee. She hadn't expected it to actually work, since the water-blade was a Zanpakutō, but she had done it! Megami gave a congratulatory smile, lowering her hands to her sides. "Congratulations." She applauded her daughter, nodding her approval. Miharu grinned, and Daiyaku jumped down from his perch. "I think you all need a break. You've been at it for awhile." "An hour, to be exact." Megami shifted her arms, folding them across her chest and turning her gaze towards Daiyaku. She really didn't have much to say about the situation. Miharu was steadily climbing up her own mountain at this point, slowly learning as she progressed. Whether it was the actual experience or the training that was given, it was proving to have an effect onto her. However, the progress was still just that: slow. Miharu was feeling a great feeling of accomplishment merely from shattering her mother's blade. Suddenly, Miharu felt a familiar spiritual signal, and she turned around to see Rukia making her way over to them. She tapped her mother's shoulder. "Kā-chan. It's Rukia." "I know." Having sensed the signature long before her time, Megami turned around to face the shorter woman. But her eyes soon fell to the small stack of paperwork she was carrying with her. "Rukia! What's with the papers?" She questioned curiously, allowing herself to take a few steps towards her. She really didn't need to, due to the distance closing up via one person. "Being the representative of the Soul Society, I have a lot of paperwork to fill out." Rukia explained, chuckling weakly. "As hectic as it's been, my work has kind of been piling up. His Highness was so kind as to remind me of the work I have to do." "I noticed...." Megami hid a hand behind her mouth, though the smile on her face was clear. "Any new updates on....well....whatever?" She hadn't really thought of what had happened in Hueco Mundo. The death of both Kyashi and Ryūka had still not fared well with her conscience. She had actually witnessed one of them die. But in both circumstances, she was rendered virtually helpless. It had been such a terrible feeling for her to be forced into such a position.... "Yes, I've been researching Takahashi in the Daireishokairō." Rukia said, looking at Megami over the stack of papers. "I can tell you all what I know if I can just get inside." "Sure, sure!" Immediately, Megami moved over behind Rukia, using her hands against the back to push and guide her towards the open door. "Tell me everything to the last detail! Don't be holding out on me, you got that?" Rukia waddled into the house, setting the large stack of papers down on the living room table. "I'll be glad when I see the last of those." She sat down on the couch, and as she did, Ahatake poked his head around the corner from the kitchen. "Oh, Rukia's here." He said through a mouthful of what looked like a BLT. "Excellent, Ahatake, you're here." Rukia said, smiling. "I won't have to go through this for a third time. Alright, as I had been telling your wife, daughter, and Daiyaku mere moments ago, I've been conducting research on Takahashi in the Daireishokairō. From what I found, Takahashi was the former Captain of Ninth Company. During his time in the Soul Society, he became a Lieutenant after the mysterious death of the previous Lieutenant. He was known for his abnormal interest in Hollows. He was later appointed to Captain Rank. Half a decade after his promotion, he was discovered welding Hollows powers, and was going to be tried by the Central 46. He defected from the Soul Society, promising he would eventually come back to slaughter every single Shinigami in the Seirietei." "You've told all of this to the king?" "Yes." Rukia nodded, as Ahatake finished his sandwich. "Apparently, he is going to call in the I.S.F.R." "....the what?" That intelligent statement was followed by a blank stare in Rukia's direction, courtesy of Megami. "I asked the same thing." Rukia said, chuckling. "In the words of the King himself, it's a mercenary military group.... without the mercenary. They pick the best troops from other soul societies and use it to create a powerful group of fighters." Rukia had been sketching as she was explaining, and the finished result was a drawing of a group of bunnies, each with little evil grins on their faces, to show that the I.S.F.R. was a group. "Uh..." Ahatake droned for a second. "Can you tell me why your drawings suck so bad?" Rukia got up and walked over to Ahatake, and the sound of popping joints and cracking bones could be heard, and Rukia walked back over to her seat, Ahatake lying on the floor in a world of pain. "...." Not surprisingly, the other woman was staring at her severely injured husband with a look of comical shock. Both corners of her lips were turned upward in a muscle-tightened smile. Her pupils had vanished, giving her widened eyes the appearance of white-filled circles. One of her eyebrows was twitching due to the expression. That was her husband lying on the floor like that! A strong, powerful, and death-stubborn guy! And he had gotten destroyed by a former Vice-Captain. She had only one coherent response. "Rukia? You've really gotta show me how you manage to do that sometime...." Rukia smiled. "I'll be more than happy to show you." Miharu walked over to Ahatake. "Kā-chan, maybe you should help him?" She asked, giggling. "I don't know, dear...." Megami slowly stood up, placing an innocent hand over her mouth. "He looks oh-so-perfectly comfortable on the floor, don't you think?" However, despite these words, she allowed herself to walk towards his fallen body, hand still over her mouth. "You can just put his joints back into place and fix his bones up." Rukia said airily, putting away her sketchpad. "By the way, how's the boy coping with his father's death and all?" "He still isn't doing so well.... but he's getting there." Megami moved over, carefully inspecting the damage before placing her hands onto one of the broken joints. She had to start with the limbs. After all, they were the easiest to grasp and fix. "All right, this is going to hurt real bad, so hold your breath, bite your tongue, whatever you need to keep from screaming. One....two....THREE!" SNAP! "GRAAAAGGHWHATTHEHELL?!" Ahatake screamed. Miharu giggled again. Rukia's eyes widened. "Isn't he supposed to be strong?" She asked, obviously referring to Ahatake. After a helpless shrug, Megami couldn't help but express slight alarm. However, she raised her hands up defensively. "Ok, that's one arm. Stay with me, I have to do the other one....and then your legs...." She felt great pity for the man, having to go through this. However, she needed to do so in order for the joints to heal properly. If she let them be, he would be healed as a crippled man. In order to help, she materialized her blade and slid it in front of his face. "Bite down on this." She ordered, making sure the back of the blade was facing his mouth. Ahatake bit. "As I was saying...." She murmured, her voice directed back to Rukia once more. "It's really hit him hard to know that his parents left him so suddenly. But he's a strong child. Ryūka made sure of that...." "Yeah." Rukia agreed. "And he has that daughter of yours to keep him company." "I just hope that's enough. Ok, dear.... ready? Here we go...." SNAP! The blade cracked. Rukia sighed. "Looking at Ahatake, I almost feel guilty." "Ah! Don't say such a cruel thing, Rukia-san!" Megami protested, quickly moving over behind him. She bent over, grasping both of his ankles and pushing herself up to a crouch position. "Ok.... one more time. Bear with me, this might be twice as painful. Ready....?" She herself took in a deep breath, gathering both the physical and mental strength in order to fix this problem. Then, without warning, she tugged. "HYAH!" CRACK!!! The blade cracked even more as Ahatake bit down. "Hey, Kā-chan?" Miharu spoke up, still giggling. "Hm?" "Would you mind if I took a walk around the block?' She asked. "Haven't gone on an actual walk with all the events we;ve had recently." "Oh, sure, go on ahead, dear...." Megami answered, giving Miharu a gentle smile. "Just be careful, all right?" "I'll go with her." Rukia offered. "The paperwork can wait a bit longer, and I've told you everything so far. Besides, a bit of air would be good for me." "Wha-- well, sure! Of course, Rukia! Thank you so much for choosing to look after her!" Knowing that she would be busy on her own with her husband, Megami eagerly thanked the shorter woman for her services.